Rail-crossing construction



Jan. 20, 1925. 1,523,573

L. ALEXANDER RAIL CROSSING CONSTRUCTION Filed April 5, 1924 2 She ets-Sheet 1 ZZZ/70507; ,Z 620415 Jfflemndzr L. ALEXANDER RAIL CRO S S ING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1924 I ll\lllllllllu IIHIIIIIIIIIIIIWIH 1419 )9 Last and/@7 1 W Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

rszasn LEWIS ALEXANDER, 0F CLINTON, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-CROSSING GONSTRUCIION.

Application filed April 3, i924. SerialNo. 703,847.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Lnwrs ALlflXANDIflR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Clinton, De \Vitt County, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in RaileCrossing Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates torail crossing devices of that kind in which means are provided for connecting the at right angles to each other, so that the rails of onetrack will in' effect cross those of another track,

usually at right angles to each other, or approximately so, thus providing a crossing construction whereby trains on either track may cross the other track.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby no short rail sections will be necessary between the sides of either track, and whereby the ends of the rails of both tracks will be firm: ly connected and held in place by neans which serve also as means, in effect, for preserving. the continuity ofzthe rails of both tracrs, so that the crossing construction will support the wheels between the sides of either track, in a manner that will. insure rigidity and other necessary requirements or desirable characteristics of a structure of this kind, and in a manner to reduce. the cost of manufacture. and installation of a crossing construction for this purpose.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features .of construction and corn,- binations tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of a. rail crossing of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth .clainied and shown ac.- ran ns r win liish Figure 1' is a plan. of ara-il crossingstrucr ture enibodying the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is 22 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a detail plan. view .of thecenter plate involved in said'constructio-n; A

Figure 4: is a transverse section on line vof Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a detail plan View of one of the tie plates interposed between-the: rails of each track, involved in. said construction;

Figure 6 is an edge view of thefplate a transverse section on line s e ig- V is a detail plan view of one of the angle plates disposed in the angles between the outer sides of the two tracks; and

Figure 8 is an edge view of the plate shown in Fig. 7.

Figure 9 is a detail fragmentary sectional view, on a lar er scale, showing the manner in which the fastening bolts are applied.

As thus illustrated, the invention coin prises the rectangular center plate, as shown in 3, having four straight edge p0r- .tions 1 and having inside web portions 2, provided with openings 8, for fastening bolts, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The tie plates, suchas the tie plate shown in Fig. 5, each have an edge portion 4t to support the wheels of the trains, and web portions 5 and 6 havingholes 7 therein for bolts .01 other fastening devices, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The edge portions 8 of each tie plate are adapted to fit against the inner sides ,of the rails 9, as shown, and the raised portions 10 serve as guards for the flanges of the wheels of. trains crossing at right angles to the portion 4t of each tie plate, as will hereinafter more fully appear. Each angle plate, as shown in Fig. 7, comprises a right. angled crossing portion 11 to support the wheels of trains on both tracks, andeacli angle plate is provided with edge portions 12 to engage the sides of the rails of both tracks, these angle pieces being dis.- posed in the angles between the outer sides of the rails of the two tracks which, in the illustration embodied in the invention shown in the drawings, cross each other at right Figure 7 angles. Each angle plate is provided with a web 13 having holes 14 for bolts or. other fastening devices. as will hereinafter rnore fully appear. The. edge portions 8 and 12 have hor-iaontal holes to receive the hori ontalfholtgs whereby the end portions of the rails are clarnped tightly between these portions of the plates. The end portions of the rails, as will be seen, are undercut to provide upper tread portions 16 which extend over the portions 12 to engage the portions 11, so that there is scarcely any break .01; ga-p anywhere in the tread portions over wheels roll while crossing the con- ,struotionthus provided. Of course, grooves 17 are formed between the rectangular center plate. and the tie plates. for the flanges of the. wheels, and extensions 18 of these grooves, are formed for a. distance outside of the n et ns lar spe s ccur edb e c n plate, between the portions and the portions 11, thereby permitting the flanges of the Wheeis to travel across the rail crossing construct-ion. in addition, these grooves 17 and 18 iorm guards tor the flanges, whereby the flanges are held at both sides against lateral displacement white traversing the crossing construction. Vertical bolts 1}) are inserted throu h the dill'erent )lates. and

through the webs 2, 6 and 13, and through the openings 3, 7 and 1st provided therein, to clamp the different plates and the rigid structure formed by the plates in the' rails upon the rectangular base plate 20, which Y not limitedto any particular angle for the latter maybe of any suitable character.

Said base plate can be supported by any su table means, and the shape of the openings 3, 7 and 14: is such that the plates can be displaced laterally to facilitate the inser tie the rails together, and the plates outside of the rails are called angle plates becausethey are disposed in the angles formed be-ftween the outer sides of the two tracks? Eaclr tie plate has a portion 4 to support the wheels, and each angle plate has a por tion 11 to support the wheels, these portions being of" the same height as the tops of the rails, so that the wheels will travel smoothly ,while passing from the ends of the rails at one side to the ends of the rails at the other side, of the rail crossing construction thus provided. The plates can be made of any desired material, either cast steel or wrought steel, or metal of some other kind, but it is obvious that these plates must be made of such strong and tough and durable metal that theywill notbreak or crack or bend when subjected to the weight and shock and strain of passing trains.

' The constructiontends to reduce the cost of manufacture and the cost of installation, as compared with constructions heretofore employedi'or crossings of this kind. 7

As shown, the crossing is one in which the tracks cross each other at right angles, but it will be understood that the invention is crossing and that the .two tracks may be dis posedat any desired angle to each other, so far as the broader aspects .of the invention are concerned.

bolt-s, each bolt can be shifted sidewise, when loose or not tightened, for the reason that the holes below in the base plate are exact counterparts of the holes above in the tie plates, angle plates and the central plate, The ;nuts; for these bolts are preferably above, and the lower portions of the bolts are squared so that they cannot turn in the narrow portions of the openings in the base plate, and with this arrangement the bolts can be inserted downward through the d rferent plates orinserted upward, and moved sidewise, which amounts toa relative lateral displacement of the plates themselves, or relative to the bolts, until the bolts themselvesv are in" the narrow portions of the openings in the base plate and in the plates above. Then when the nuts on the outer ends of the bolts are tightened, the bolts will be held against rotation by their squared portions in the base plates, whereby the tightening of the nuts will clamp the upper plates firmly upon thebase plate, the upper plates and the rails forming one rigid mass or structure which is held'in fixed position upon the baseplate. This permits assembly of theplates and removal thereof without the necessity of obtaining access below the base plate. But any suitable means can be employed, of course, for attaching the upper plates to the-base plate or toany suitable support, without departing from the spirit of the invention; i What I, claim as my invention is;

1. In rail crossing construction, the com- .ibination of rails forming tracks crossing each other at an'angle, with said rails-terniinatin g at the sides of a rectangle where the rails areomitted, and plates interposed between the rails of each track, forming continuations of said rails for the wheels to travel upon, plates disposedinthe angles and betweenthe sides of one track and the sides oft-he other track, together with fastening deviccs for connecting the rails and plates "together, and instrumentalities fornf ing .a base for said platesand rail portions thus connected to form structure.

2. A structure as specified in'claim 1, in combination with a rectangular guardplate disposed within the rectangular plates formed between the edges of sa-id first a rigid rail crossing mentioned "plates, spaced a distance from flanges of the wheels.

A structure as specified in claim 1, said fastening devices comprising bolts inserted through ,the rail end portions, said plates hav1ng'port1ons provided wlth openings for said bolts, whereby the rail end portions are clamped tightly between said portions of t I v i the plates. It will be seen that with the holes in the difierent plates, forthevertically disposed A structure as specified in claim 1, said base comprlslng a rectangular plate, extending under all other plates, .[and bolts inserted vertically to secureathe upper plates to said base-forming lower plate.

said edges, thereby providing spaces for the V 5. A structure as specified in claim 1, said instriunentalities comprising a rectangular plate, together with Vertical bolts extending through this base plate and said first-mentioned plates, with openings in said firstmentioned plates to permit upward insertion of said bolts through said upper plates, in assembling the structure on said base plate, these openings permitting lateral displace ment of the fastening means into a position whereby said bolts are effective to hold the upper plates firmly upon said base plate.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with a rectangular plate disposed in the rectangular space formed between said first-mentioned plates, spaced :1 distance from said edges, thereby providing spaces for the flanges of the Wheels, and said instrumentalities comprising a base plate having upstanding bolts thereon, with openings formed in said upper plates to permit upward insertion therein of said bolts, said openings being formed to permit lateral dlSPlZLCGD'lQDt of the fastening means into a position whereby said bolts are e1"- t'ective to hold said upper plates in place on said base plate.

LEWIS ALEXANDER. 

